In the early days of a startup, most founders carry a quiet burden: the uncertainty of whether their ideas matter, whether they’re solving something real, or simply chasing noise.
For Gen Z entrepreneurs across Southeast Asia, this question feels even heavier. With limited access to mentors, fragmented ecosystems, and a tendency to work in isolation, many early-stage founders often struggle to build not just a product, but a sense of belonging.
Leonard Ang understands this tension deeply. As a co-founder of Sip & Scale, Google FGN Fellow, PH 100 Under 30 honoree, and a visible force in the Philippine startup scene, he has transformed casual conversations into a compass for innovation.
His journey—from community builder to stealth founder—isn’t just a story of launching a company. It’s a case study in how trust, visibility, and intentional listening can fuel a more grounded, authentic kind of startup success.
Highlights
Scaling with Intention: Listening Before You Build
Q: How has building communities like Sip & Scale influenced your approach to launching a stealth startup?
A: We started Sip & Scale with a simple goal: to bring together founders, builders, investors, and student leaders around the same table. These were people asking tough questions, sharing early wins, and navigating the messy middle of building something from scratch.
What surprised me most was how much those raw, unfiltered conversations shaped my approach to product building. After spending time with hundreds of people from different backgrounds and repeatedly asking, “What’s keeping you up at night?”, I started to notice patterns. Some problems seemed exciting at first, but quickly faded. Others felt simple—almost boring—but stuck around, because the pain behind them was real. That insight shifted my entire approach: I stopped chasing trends and started listening for tension behind problems.
It also made me slow down in a good way. Building a community taught me that trust takes time, especially with people you’ve just met. Results rarely come overnight. You earn depth by consistently showing up and not rushing the process. I started viewing startups the same way—success isn’t about scaling on day one. It’s about solving a real need for a few people first and growing from there.
So when we launched our stealth startup, we built around the pain points we’d heard 20, 30, even 50 times. That helped us not only decide what to build, but also what to ignore. The community wasn’t just a place to test ideas. It became our filter, our feedback loop, and our grounding force.
Q: Stealth mode demands secrecy, yet you’re a visible leader in the startup space. How do you balance both?
A: It’s a tricky balance, but I draw a clear line between who I am and what I’m building. Outside of my startup work, I mentor students and early-stage founders—not to pitch the product, but to share lessons in real time.
I focus on the how and why of the process: what’s working, what’s not, what we’re learning. I believe it’s possible to share valuable insights like how we run user interviews, design our customer discovery process, or approach early team building, without disclosing the product itself.
That said, I don’t believe in total secrecy or isolation. Trust is foundational. When people trust you, they become natural supporters, even if they don’t know the full picture. That’s why I prioritize transparency about the journey, sharing the uncertainties and progress, not just the results.
Q: What have your experiences, from PH 100 Under 30 to Google FGN, taught you about the power of strategic visibility?
A: Those experiences taught me that visibility isn’t about being seen by everyone; it’s about being seen by the right people, at the right time, for the right reasons.
Early on, I believed good work would speak for itself. But I’ve learned that how your work is perceived—and by whom—shapes its value. Strategic visibility isn’t self-promotion; it’s intentional storytelling. It means understanding your audience, crafting your message, and using your platform to build trust and create momentum.
Visibility is a tool, not just to highlight your work, but to elevate others, foster community, and open doors that help move the ecosystem forward.
Mentorship in the Mirror: What Gen Z Founders Really Need
Q: What sets Gen Z founders apart from earlier generations, based on your experience scaling Sip & Scale?
A: Gen Z founders are driven by a deep desire to challenge convention rather than fit into it. They’re not just creating bold or innovative ideas; they’re creating different ones, unapologetically.
They’re constantly asking, “Is there a faster, cheaper, better way to do this?” Instead of accepting the status quo, they question outdated systems and reject inefficiencies simply because “that’s how it’s always been done.” This mindset often leads them to explore unconventional paths and rethink entire industries.
Another defining trait? Authenticity. Gen Z has a low tolerance for pretense or performative professionalism. They can quickly sense when something feels off. That sharp radar for authenticity shapes how they build teams, culture, and communities, with openness and trust at the center.
Q: How should mentorship evolve to truly support today’s fast-moving Gen Z startup builders?
A: Mentorship needs to evolve from a top-down model to a dynamic, reciprocal relationship. The old-school version—where an expert imparts wisdom—doesn’t cut it anymore. Today’s founders need collaboration, real-time feedback, and a space for mutual growth.
The most effective mentorships blend cross-generational learning: advice from those a decade ahead, ideas from peers at the same stage, and even inspiration from those younger who bring new tools and perspectives. It should be less about static lessons and more about ongoing conversations.
And most importantly, mentorship works best when it’s earned. Gen Z builders attract mentors by creating value and showing ambition. That’s when real relationships form—ones that fuel fast learning and tangible impact.
More Than a Movement: Sip & Scale’s Expanding Mission
Q: What critical gaps do you see in the Philippine startup ecosystem, and who should fill them?
A: There are two major gaps.
First is the overconcentration in a few sectors—mainly fintech, SaaS, and e-commerce. These are important, but they overshadow areas like climate tech, deep tech, health innovation, education, and rural development. These sectors often require longer timelines and more complex solutions, which makes them less attractive to local investors, but the need is real, and the potential is massive.
Second is the geographic and socioeconomic gap. Most resources—funding, accelerators, events—are centered in Metro Manila and tied to elite universities. This excludes builders from the provinces, public universities, and non-traditional backgrounds. It limits diversity and innovation.
Filling these gaps requires collective effort. Investors must broaden their lens. Ecosystem builders, government agencies, and universities should collaborate to decentralize access and support. Founders can help by sharing knowledge and building peer networks. The future of the ecosystem depends on both expanding the sectors we back and the communities we include.
Q: What’s the long-term vision for Sip & Scale—a community, platform, or something more?
A: The vision is to grow Sip & Scale into a global connector between students and founders, starting right here in the Philippines.
We’re focused on expanding regionally, especially into areas with little to no exposure to startups. The goal is to introduce aspiring founders and students in these underserved communities to the broader innovation landscape.
We also plan to provide access to critical tools: cloud service credits, startup internships for students, technical mentorship, and practical business support.
Importantly, Sip & Scale will always remain a non-profit, community-driven initiative. We have no plans to monetize it. Our mission is to keep it open and accessible so that founders and students can engage freely and create long-term impact, not short-term gain, wherever they are.
Building Backwards: From Community to Company
For many founders, the road to success starts with a pitch deck. But for Leonard Ang, it started with a question: “What’s keeping you up at night?” That curiosity, asked across tables filled with student leaders and startup dreamers, became the soul of Sip & Scale, a space where vulnerability meets ambition.
In a landscape where the loudest voices often get the most funding, Leonard’s approach reminds us that true innovation happens in quieter rooms, built on earned trust, inclusive access, and community-first thinking.
As Gen Z founders rise, questioning old models and crafting new ones, the call is clear: mentorship must evolve, ecosystems must broaden, and visibility must become a strategic act of service. Leonard Ang isn’t just launching a stealth company, he’s helping to architect a more expansive and equitable future for startups in Asia.
Highlights
Read the Chinese article here.
